HONOR Pad X8a Review: A Convenient Everyday Device

We continue our look at HONOR tablets. In our previous review we covered the new, and this time we're checking out a model from the entry-level lineup: the HONOR Pad X8a.

The tablet comes in a classic white box with a picture of the device on it. Inside you'll find the tablet itself, a cable and a 10 W charger, a SIM ejector tool for the memory card tray, and documentation.

The HONOR Pad X8a comes in a single color, Space Gray. The back panel is made entirely of metal, and its texture feels pleasant to the touch and isn't slippery. The tablet is 7.25 mm thick and weighs under 500 grams. It's comfortable to use and can hardly be called bulky or heavy.

The top edge has only the speaker openings and no buttons: the power button, volume rocker and memory card tray are all on the right edge. The buttons have a nice, slightly firm press.

The bottom edge has only speaker and microphone openings, and the left edge is bare.

The audio system consists of four large-amplitude speakers that handle music and games well. The microphone picks up voice clearly for recording videos or video calls: AI removes background noise and only slightly distorts the original sound.

The HONOR Pad X8a features an 11-inch display with an 84% screen-to-body ratio. It has a resolution of 1920x1200 and a peak brightness of 400 nits. That may not be enough on a bright sunny day, but indoors the screen leaves nothing but a good impression: HD movies look vivid, and motion is smooth with no hint of blur. The maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz is more than enough for work, movies and casual games.

It's also worth noting that the display uses several eye-protection technologies: it reduces blue light at the hardware level and suppresses flicker. There's also an e-book mode that mimics the feel of reading on paper.

The camera module protrudes only slightly, so the tablet doesn't wobble when lying on a desk.

Both cameras have a 5 MP sensor and f/2.2 aperture lenses. The front camera also supports face unlock, and the rear one has autofocus. Photos and videos are good enough for sharing information, scanning documents or other work tasks. Don't expect much more than that.

The HONOR Pad X8a runs on a 6 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor with Qualcomm Adreno 610 graphics, four Kryo 265 Gold cores at 2.4 GHz and four Kryo 265 Silver cores at 1.9 GHz. It has 4 GB of RAM. HONOR RAM Turbo technology lets you use part of the internal storage to expand RAM from 4 to 8 GB, which gives a slight performance boost in practice.

Our review unit has 128 GB of storage (a 64 GB version is also available). If needed, storage can be expanded up to 1 TB with a microSD card. There's also an LTE version on sale if you need mobile internet on the device.

We ran the tablet through Geekbench 6 and AnTuTu (results in the images below).

Is this configuration good enough for gaming? For demanding titles like Genshin Impact, not really. The game will launch, but don't expect smooth gameplay. Less demanding titles like PUBG or Call of Duty Mobile run at 30-45 frames per second. Still, we'd recommend sticking to simpler games.

The 8300 mAh battery lasts several hours of gaming, or 11-12 hours of video playback or work. The tablet charges to 50% in about 100 minutes.

The device runs Magic OS 8.0 based on Android 14. Multi-window mode lets you use four apps at once, and the App Extender feature opens two windows of the same app with different interfaces side by side. The interface itself is responsive, with no hint of stutters or lag.

The HONOR Pad X8a is a solid choice in the entry-level segment. It stands out from the crowd with its stylish metal body and a good IPS display that's bright and responsive enough for work and watching movies or videos.